Please Don’t Let Go Of That Leash - Chapter 4 - Royal Banquet (Part 3)
Chapter 4 – Royal Banquet (Part 3)
“How do I look?”
That finally brought them back to their senses, though not enough to quell their impulsive thoughts.
‘Sending a refusal to attend the Imperial banquet won’t ruin our families.’
The more they thought about it, the more preferable it seemed to endure the Imperial family’s ire rather than show her to others.
‘Ennen mentioned something interesting would happen.’
Unaware of their inner turmoil, Ria tilted her head in confusion at the lack of response.
“Young lady!”
At that moment, a maid hurriedly descended the stairs, calling out to her. When Ria turned swiftly, the fragrance of her dress wafted over them. Subsequently, when her back came into their view, a rough impact struck their three pairs of eyes.
The nape of her neck and shoulder blades, which they had kissed countless times, were exposed. The dress, designed to reveal the shoulders, made sense, but such thoughts were far from their minds.
They were too busy imagining the dress tied with a ribbon and what lay beneath it. The barely suppressed desire surged again, causing them to clench their fists tightly.
“Young lady, you need to take your fan. And…”
As the maid handed the fan to Ria, she whispered something softly. Instead of answering, Ria nodded her head and turned her body around again.
“Should we not go to the banquet?”
Eden, who had been closely observing her movements, barely managed to voice his thoughts in a low, somber tone. Kahin, nodding in agreement, followed suit. They couldn’t bear the thought of showing her to others.
“What are you talking about? Let’s go quickly.”
But Ria, taking it as a joke, laughed softly and started walking ahead, leaving them with no choice but to reluctantly follow.
The grand carriage of the dukes, rivaling the power of the Imperial family, was spacious enough to comfortably accommodate all four of them. Inside, Ria’s face was filled with barely concealed excitement as she gazed out the window. While curiosity about the Imperial banquet was part of it, the main reason was that this was her second outing.
In contrast, the faces of the three men grew increasingly grim as they neared the palace. They were anxious about how to draw less attention to her appearance.
They considered having her wear their coats, but that was impossible. It would only attract more attention and would be inappropriate for a banquet attended by royalty.
‘The only option is to make her presence as unnoticed as possible.’
Eden, frowning nervously, ran a hand through his hair and called out to Ria. His previously neatly combed hair was now slightly disheveled, but that was the least of his concerns. When she turned from the window, he smiled warmly, as if he hadn’t been frowning moments ago.
“We’ll introduce you as ‘Ria Leviar’. It’s an old name from a long-vanished family, so few will remember it. Even if they do, only the Northerners would, but they rarely leave their territory.”
Ria nodded, listening intently.
“We’ll stay by your side, but if you find yourself alone, go to an empty terrace and lower the curtains. We’ll find you no matter which terrace you’re in.”
“Got it.”
“And if someone speaks to you, you don’t have to respond to everyone. Ignore everyone except the Emperor, Empress, and Crown Prince. They’ll enter separately, so you’ll recognize them easily.”
“Understood.”
“If you want to hide your expression, use your fan. If you need to mention a noble, refer to men as ‘Young Lord’ and women as ‘Young Lady’. For the married ones…”
Even as he meticulously explained everything, his worries didn’t abate. He didn’t hesitate to entertain ruthless thoughts.
‘Haah. If I gouged out the eyes of everyone attending, would you be scared?’
Yet, the smile he gave her in return for her bright one was that of someone whose inner thoughts couldn’t be further from suspicion.
Soon, they arrived at the palace where the banquet was being held. This location, only opened for Imperial banquets, allowed noble carriages to drive up to the entrance.
“Wow…”
Stepping out of the carriage while holding Eden’s hand, Ria let out a small gasp at the magnificent palace building. Having never traveled abroad to Europe, the sight before her was both beautiful and amazing.
The three men chuckled softly at her reaction. Just as she found this world fascinating, they found everything about her fascinating—every unexpected response, every expression that changed with her thoughts and feelings.
“Shall we go in?”
“Yes! Oh, wait.”
Rune extended his hand to escort her, but as Ria was about to take it, she paused and draped a shawl over her shoulders along with her fan.
“…What’s that?”
Rune’s thin eyebrows arched slightly. Eden and Kahin also stared curiously, wondering where it had come from. Ria’s voice, sounding more puzzled than theirs, responded.
“Roeta told me to take it out when I arrived at the palace. It was hard to carry it in, so I was holding it along with my fan. Didn’t you notice?”
It felt like a hammer had struck their heads. Only then did they realize it was Ennen’s prank.
They had been so preoccupied with her outfit and exposed skin that they hadn’t noticed the shawl the maid had handed her along with the fan. The shawl, made of thin, sheer material, had blended with the similarly colored fan and gone unnoticed. Ennen had undoubtedly predicted this.
Knowing him, it was a well-founded assumption. A wry smile escaped their lips. Marchioness Serena Rosevita and her paramour were individuals they found thoroughly detestable.
…At least the shawl covered some skin.
“Isn’t there a thicker one?”
“No, just this one.”
It didn’t satisfy them. In fact, the sheer material subtly showed her skin even more, making it worse. Kahin, after staring at the shawl for a moment, sighed inwardly and adjusted it as best as he could. Though it only covered her shoulders, it was better than nothing.
Eventually, they stood at the entrance of the banquet hall after climbing the stairs. Despite arriving at an appropriate time, the entrance was deserted as most of the nobles had already entered. The attendant standing beside the entrance politely bowed once at the approaching group before lifting his head.
“Your invitations….”
He began to receive the invitations according to the procedure but stopped midway. His attention was stolen by a woman in a pink dress. Naturally, his gaze traveled from her round forehead, along her long, lush eyelashes and prominent nose, down her fair and slender neck, until it was obstructed by someone.
“Do you wish to have your eyes gouged out?”
The voice was so low and chilling that only the attendant could hear it. Having lived as a servant in the palace, he immediately bowed his head. With the predatory gaze of not one but three pairs of eyes on him, his body trembled uncontrollably.
“Rune?”
Fortunately, a clear voice dispelled the tense atmosphere. Even so, the attendant didn’t dare to raise his head.
“They said the invitations need to be checked.”
The voice was surprisingly gentle, unlike the one the attendant had just heard. Even while handing over the invitations, the attendant’s hands shook like aspen leaves in fear.
‘Gasp.’
As soon as he checked the name on the invitation, the attendant inwardly gasped. It was the Duke of Astina. Before he could catch his breath, the names on the other two invitations made him almost faint.
His life as a mere attendant was nothing compared to the names of those who considered him no more than passing dust.
“Y-you are confirmed.”
With trembling legs, the attendant barely managed to move aside, hand over the invitations to the attendant inside, and open the door. Thankfully, the quick-witted inner attendant, seeing his colleague shaking with his head bowed, focused only on the invitations and loudly announced the names written on them.
“Presenting Duke Rune Astina and Lady Ria Leviar!”
“Presenting Duke Eden Carlisle and Count Kahin Fernon!”
In an instant, all eyes gathered at the entrance.
As Ria flinched under the numerous gazes she was experiencing for the first time, Rune gripped her hand tightly as if to reassure her.
“Don’t worry. I’m here by your side.”
His words, almost like a spell, soothed her, preventing her from shrinking under the scrutiny. Ria squeezed his hand, took a deep breath, and straightened her shoulders confidently.
It was time to take another step deeper into this world.